Before we left on the cruise we found a great blog by a couple who did our same cruise that really helped us prepare. She listed private tour companies in Costa Rica and Panama that orovided a good experience. We booked day tours with them and were glad we did. The prices were similar to the Princess tours but instead of a greyhound bus full of people, we had a a group of 8. My Friend Mario in Panama was our favorite, especially our guide, named Mario (but not
the Mario).
First we drove across one of the last locks of the canal as the lock was opening and water came gushing through. Then we drove through rainforest to Fort San Lorenzo. There were howler monkeys in the trees and we spotted several but our pictures don't show them well, darn it.
Princess has a suggested reading list for the cruise including Carribbean by James Michener. Often as we had our stops, I would be reading about the history of that place. The day before our Panama stop, I was reading about Sir Francis Drake and his siege of Panama City. The first spanish fort along the way was Fort San Lorenzo. A couple days later I was reading about Captain Henry Morgan the privateer that captured the Fort which is at the mouth of the Chagres River in the Carribbean Sea. We stood where he stood 200 years ago.
On the way back to the ship our driver spotted two toed sloths in the trees and we stopped for pictures. They move so slow that it was no problem getting good shots this time.
We had a great time on our Panama Canal Cruise. We were pampered, fed, and entertained. The ports of call were facinating and fun. Surprisingly we had a good time dressing up for the formal nights. The sea days were so relaxing. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our big anniversary! And the best surprise was the champagne breakfast that LeAnne arranged as an anniversary gift.
Cartegena, Colombia is a beautiful old walled city with a very large modern city. Both the old and new city are vibrant and colorful. As we came into the harbor early in the morning we could see the city from our balcony. It was a pretty sight. I would love to go back there some day and spend more time.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Panama Canal itself and the transit day. For several days before we had port lectures by William Keene, an excellent speaker on the canal. He provided fun and interesting talks on the history, construction, and future of the canal. They were my favorite ship board activity. The day of the transit we were up early and started through the first locks soon after 7 am. We exited the last lock near 4 pm. A highlight was watching the 'mules' keep the ship straight in the locks. The lines were thrown to men in rowboats who transferred the lines to the waiting train engines which are still called mules. 
First we drove across one of the last locks of the canal as the lock was opening and water came gushing through. Then we drove through rainforest to Fort San Lorenzo. There were howler monkeys in the trees and we spotted several but our pictures don't show them well, darn it. 
In the highlands of Costa Rica is a beautiful resort with gardens, a small zoo, and 3 amazing waterfalls. The tallest is 120 feet high. The zoo has native birds and butterflies and a whole room of Blue Morphos that will land on your hand if you are still. The paths through the waterfalls is a nice walk in the rainforest jungle. Costa Rica is known for their decorative ox carts.
John and I celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary by taking a 14 day Panama Canal Cruise aboard the Coral Princess. We embark in Los Angeles, stop in Costa Rica, Panama, Cartegena Columbia, and Aruba. The transit of the Panama Canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic takes most of a day and is facinating. 
